The late US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as among the most powerful occupants of that position in US history. Whereas many second-in-commands were confined to marginal or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly called as the "true president".
Bush disliked that description and claimed the connection was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, invariably referring to him in official appearances as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president pliable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the downing of any non-communicating planes heading toward the government building.
Cheney claimed the strikes changed him, leading him to become focused on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the enhanced interrogation of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on faulty reports repeated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I maintain that stance today."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I saw, as a baseline," he later wrote "clear negligence, carelessness, and irresponsibility: at worst, deception, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum setting out situations in which American interests might be compromised (including "availability of essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be prepared to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the Oval Office vaguely intent on executing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been fired by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of diminishing America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a plot to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his parent's visage that each person had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind attacking Iraq, consistently quoting information documents that were whether weak or completely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and torture.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the report as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish initiatives to capture the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers assigned to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his hole? It's a nice way to operate, truthfully."
Business Interests
Controversy over his commercial relationships accompanied him throughout his time as second-in-command. Even though he had little experience in commerce but good contacts in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US deals totaling multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his period at the firm increased from his previous salary when he was defence secretary to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
